Just when you thought airlines couldn’t come up with another scheme to make flying more miserable, United Airlines has done it.

UAL officials recently took a few moments away from drowning kittens and pulling puppy tails. Pleased with themselves, they announced that the privilege of early boarding for families with small children is over. They’ll now have to wait in line with the rest of coach passengers.

With airlines always finding reasons to earn extra bucks, some also charge for families who want to sit together in the cheap seats.

Of course, the new rules don’t apply if the family is willing to pay 4 or 5 times the coach price to sit in first class with the two-percenters. Then, as they board, they can also sneer at the peasants and mingle with the other rich people and government officials flying to Vegas conventions.

The usual entry fees of up to $80 for all U.S. National Parks are now waived for active military and their families.

To get in free, it’s required to show Defense Department identification at any of the 2,000 National Park locations. For more information, go to www.nps.gov/index.htm

According to a recent survey by the Living Social and Mandala Research organization, Americans are the planet's worst tourists. More than 5,000 people were asked, most of them Americans pointing accusing fingers at themselves.

Other voters: Irish people said British were the worst. The British, in turn, named the Germans. Everyone agreed that Chinese tourists are the most polite, except when they gather in casinos, where their gambling fascination makes them behave like Americans.

How much do you tip a robot hotel bellhop? Is a squirt from an oil can enough? In the air, will a robot soon be offering you tea or coffee? Will a robot bartender listen to your sad story of a lost love affair?

A tech firm is developing Ava the iRobot. When fully geared up, the pre-programmed humanoid may be able to escort guests to hotel rooms, serve meals and check-out clerks at retail shops. The non-humans could tend bar, do hospital chores, maintain building security and perform many other similar tasks.

There’s no promise yet that Ava will replace TSA agents in frisking and fondling passengers in airport security areas.